Bondy upends Queens 48-43 to grab share of second place

Published 5:33 pm, Wednesday, January 23, 2013

If Bondy Intermediate can’t win the eighth-grade Light regular season crown, the Patriots weren’t going to let rival Queens have any chance of winning it either.

In a showdown of the second and third-place teams who brought the combined record of 11-3 to the table, Bondy’s Tommy Anderson scored five go-ahead points in the final two minutes as the Patriots defeated Queens 48-43 in the Hornets Gym Wednesday night.

Queens entered the night as the only team with still a slight chance of catching first-place Thompson, but that idea went out the window as the Hornets slipped to 5-2, while Bondy pulled into a tie for second place with the same record.

Anderson, on the strength of six 3-point goals, scored a game-high 20 points. Anderson’s sixth bonus bucket was as clutch as they come. Seconds after Queens took a one-point lead and missed an opportunity to expand the advantage, Anderson came down and drained his sixth trey with 1:53 remaining, putting the Patriots in front to stay.

He would return with 1:22 left and hit two free throws, producing a two-possession lead.

Kyle Hargrove had an excellent offensive night, netting 13, but he made two sparkling defensive plays in crunch time that did more to help the victory.

Setting up Anderson’s go-ahead 3-point goal was a Hargrove interception in the backcourt. Then on Queens’ next possession, he took the ball away from a ballhandler and that set up the two free throws. Bondy’s lanky post player was also active on the boards.

Queens was led by the one-two punch of the M&M Boys. James Munoz and Josh Martinez combined to score 24 of the 43 points. Queens trailed 27-14 at one point but Munoz and Martinez were the sparkplugs to creating a 35-35 tie entering the fourth.

It was a Munoz 3-point goal from the left side that produced the 43-42 lead and Martinez’ underhand layup set up the big bucket seconds earlier.

But it was Jesus Pablo Martinez who gave Queens its first points of the fourth when his 3-point goal erased a 36-35 Bondy lead. Queens however was hampered by turnovers in the fourth, committing eight.

It was a 12-12 tie in the second when Bondy finished the first half with a 9-0 run. Hargrove scored seven of the nine on a weakside putback, a three from the right side and making Queens pay for a second look at the bucket.

GAME NOTES: In the 8B contest, Kevin Tran scored a season-high 20 points in leading Bondy to an easy win over Queens.